Wilhelm II, Holy Roman Emperor

Wilhelm II, Holy Roman Emperor (1287-) was Holy Roman Emperor from 27 December 1312 to 29 January 1315, succeeding Henry VIII of Germany and preceding Friedrich the Usurper. Wilhelm succeeded Henry VIII, whose reign of three days remains the shortest in German history, before facing an almost-immediate rebellion from the Duchy of Austria. Frederick IV of Austria defeated Wilhelm's armies and captured his major cities, forcing Wilhelm to surrender. Frederick usurped the Holy Roman crown, and he proceeded to have Wilhelm thrown in his dungeon, where he died years later.

Biography
Wilhelm d'Avesnes was the son of John II, Count of Holland, and he was a member of the Dutch Avesnes family. Wilhelm became the ruler of Holland, Hainaut, and Zeeland in 1304 after his father's death, effectively making him the ruler of the Netherlands. In 1312, the powerful Wilhelm was elected Holy Roman Emperor after Henry VIII of Germany died of the dreaded plague, and the cynical and wroth Wilhelm inherited an empire that was at war with France and was facing instability. In 1313, Duke Frederick IV of Austria rebelled against Wilhelm II, and the Austrian mercenary armies travelled across Germany and captured several imperial cities. In 1315, Wilhelm was forced to cede power to Frederick after the mercenaries overwhelmed all of Wilhelm's personal fiefs, and Wilhelm was thrown in Frederick's dungeon, where he languished until his death.